How Leaching Affects Water Quality When selecting pipes for drinking water systems, it’s critical to understand and evaluate the effect materials can have on water quality and human health. Clean water can become contaminated as it travels from a distribution facility, through a complex maze of pipes, and finally through a faucet. One lesser-known risk … more
Impacts of Pipe Leaching on Water Chemical interactions between water and piping materials — typically oxidation — and the principles of osmosis mean all piping materials leach substances into water to some degree. Some materials are far safer than others, however. For example, lead pipes and fittings have emerged as a serious public health threat … more
Are Copper Pipes Safe? When considering piping options, a material’s safety should be a primary consideration along with reliability, durability and other performance factors. As a long-standing option for piping, it’s important for contractors, building owners, homeowners and municipal officials to understand how a material like copper measures up in terms of health, safety and … more
Study: Majority of Leached Substances Are Carcinogenic, Toxic, or Unregulated A recent study from Gradient identified 163 substances that leach from plastic piping systems into potable water. These include proven carcinogens and reproductive toxins, as well as many unregulated chemicals with unknown impacts. What Piping Materials Leach Chemicals? The study analyzed and concluded that all … more
Disinfectants Cause Odorous Chemicals to Leach from Plastic Piping Piping and distribution systems can have a direct effect on the taste, odor and quality of drinking water. While North America’s water supply may be more secure than other parts of the world, water quality threats are still present. Nearly two-thirds of water resource experts characterize … more
The Rise and Fall of Lead Piping: A Brief History Lead piping was used in almost every major U.S. city for many plumbing applications in 1900, including to transport drinking water. Millions of lead pipes are still in in use across the country. As demonstrated by serious lead-in-water incidents in Flint, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Newark, New Jersey … more
Plastic Leaching into Water Systems: A Problem for Green Buildings? Interest in sustainably designed buildings continues to grow among building owners and facility managers. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by the U.S. Green Building Council, 27 percent of respondents said green projects made up over 60 percent of their work; furthermore, nearly half of … more
Study Highlights Limited Environmental Standards for Leachable Substances into Drinking Water A new study conducted by Gradient, an environmental and risk sciences consulting firm, examined the chemical composition of six commonly used commercial construction plastic piping materials and identified their leaching potential. A total of 163 substances were identified in these piping materials, of which … more
New Video Highlights Health Risks Associated with Piping Materials Plastic piping is a cheap option for drinking water systems. But does value engineering justify taking a health risk? While there are many different types of plastic pipes used today, they are all unnatural and made from a complicated blend of chemicals. Watch the video below to … more